


Holding to the Ground

by fuzball



Series: Pulsing Cerulean [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness & Explorers of Sky
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Humans, Bartering, Character Introduction, Establishing Setting, Guilds, Mysterious Past, Opening, Original Location, Shopping, Trains, Travel, set in mystery dungeon universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 06:51:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17913899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fuzball/pseuds/fuzball
Summary: A quiet Lucario hailing from the capital of the far-off region of Vazic arrives in the bustling Maraud Town, after fleeing his hometown to escape his troubles.





	Holding to the Ground

**Author's Note:**

> hiya, readers! if you’re staring at this wall of text, first off, thank you so much for taking the time to read this, it means a whole lot.
> 
> welcome to the first chapter of my new series, entitled “Pulsing Cerulean”! the series, inspired heavily by the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series of games, is set in a Pokémon AU, in a fictional region known as Vazic. it’s an action-based story centered on a team of Pokémon completing missions, while fighting against an organization of malicious intent. this summary is... somewhat vague, but i’m hoping things will make more sense as the series progresses.
> 
> this first chapter is more or less establishing the setting and the characters, rather than focusing too much on action. while i would love to get right into the fights or the important character interactions and development, we gotta set the stage here! so, here is the first part of chapter 1, “holding to the ground”! i say first part because i gotta start the second part, where things... you know, actually happen.
> 
> thanks again for reading! hopefully there’s more to come c:

The Blackbird Railroad was always a popular service in Vazic. The railroad organization was founded during an industrial revolution in the region long ago, and, only a few years after its establishment, the company’s tracks spanned the entire country. It wasn’t unusual to hear the rumble of the locomotive when passing through one of Vazic’s many towns; most, if not all of the civilized villages and cities in the region housed a Blackbird Station designated for the locomotives, and more than two dozen different trains ran simultaneously throughout Vazic, making frequent trips from one town to another.

One sunny morning saw a Blackbird Express rolling across Vazic’s countryside at its usual impressive speed. This train had been moving in the same direction ever since the previous evening: it’s path originated at the region’s capital, the Glimmering Hamlet, and had made several stops since. Since the stop at the kingdom’s center, the number of passengers had shrunk massively compared the  earlier, and most of those who remained was fast asleep. After all, some had come a long way, and much of this particular trip unfolded in the middle of the night. Some of the more pricey train cars hosted cots, so passengers could rest their head, but most riders would find time to catch some shuteye during an overnight trip, regardless of their seating.

A shrill announcement rang out over the train’s intercom.

“APPROACHING OUR NEXT STOP. WILL ARRIVE IN MARAUD TOWN IN APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES.”

The sudden, blaring alert woke several passengers, and a few began to sleepily rummage through their belongings, preparing to get off at their stop. As this occurred, a tall, brown-furred service worker began hobbling down the aisle, a clipboard detailing the passengers and their locations in her right hand, a yellow pencil in the other. The Furret went down her list as she strolled down the cars, checking to see those who intended to exit at the next top weren’t still asleep.

The Furret approached one of the cars housing beds, expecting more than a few passengers to deal with: however, she was surprised to find that almost all of the cots were unoccupied. She glanced down the rows of cots and only found one occupant: a scruffy-looking Lucario was fast asleep near the back of the car. She glanced at her checklist and, indeed, there was a male Lucario with plans to exit at the Maraud Town station. According to the list, he was the only one of his species aboard, meaning she wasn’t mistaking him with anyone.

As she approached, she couldn’t help but notice his strange get-up: he was wearing a thick, azure cloak with a hood, though the hood wasn’t over his head as he slept, and a necklace with a bright blue charm attached to it laid on his chest. A pair of perfectly clear square spectacles was set on the nightstand next to his cot. Despite his mysterious garments, there was something familiar-looking about the Aura Pokémon that the Furret couldn’t put her finger on. Not that many Lucario looked all too different when compared side-by-side, but, still…

“Sir?”, the Ferret Pokémon murmured, gently shaking his shoulder. Almost immediately, the Lucario jumped up with a restrained yell, his breathing tense, looking like he had just woken up from a horrid nightmare. Upon noticing the service worker next to him, however, he sighed, regaining his composure and fumbling for his glasses.

“M-My apologies, m’am,” said the Lucario, picking up the spectacles and putting them on.

The Furret smiled somewhat awkwardly and shook her head. “Not a problem,” she replied, glancing down at her clipboard.

“Says here you came from the capital, yes?”

The Lucario silently nodded, glancing out the window behind him to gaze at the daylight, the early morning sky painted a faded blue. Based on how he had woken up, he must’ve boarded the train the previous night as expected.

“Well, we’re approaching Maraud Town real soon, so if you still mean to leave then…”

“Yes. Thank you,” the passenger cut her off perhaps without meaning to, picking up the necklace and putting it over his head, wrapping it around his neck. The Lucario hurriedly stood up, grabbed a Swablu-sized satchel from under his cot, and rushed off to the front of the train. The Furret caught herself staring at the canine Pokémon as he hurried away, racking her brains to remember how she recognized his face. Was it at a party? A forgotten meeting, perhaps? Or maybe she had seen his face in the news…

She didn’t have time to ponder much more, however. She had a job to do. Thus, she headed in the direction of the doors, prepared to check in oncoming passengers.

 

* * *

 

Maraud Town was described as one of Vazic’s many “Guild Towns”. Guild Towns were commonly known as villages that centered around a popular Guild—Guilds being freelance organizations of Pokémon taking jobs from others and going on adventures to earn whatever reward that was being offered, be it money, rare artifacts, or whatever else. The most famous Guild Town in the world was Treasure Town, which, surprisingly enough, wasn’t even a part of Vazic. Looking past this, however, 40% of the world’s Guild Towns were located in the country, not a statistic to sneeze at.

Among them was Maraud Town, one of the more populated Guild Towns in the world. Not that this wasn’t expected, considering the village was one of the largest in Vazic, but a stranger to the town would be surprised by how enthusiastic much of the population was about adventure. The town’s most respected establishment was the Soulstar Guild, a sizable building smack dab in the middle of the suburb, surrounded by houses and shops and the like. Soulstar wasn’t as restrictively tightly-knit as others in the world—for example, other guilds with smaller rosters would have mandatory check-ins every morning—but its community was large, and ever-growing at that. And many knew that if you were in Soulstar Guild, chances were you knew everyone else in Soulstar Guild. Many different, unique teams made up the organization, some more skilled than others, but all of whom shared that same passion spark, that same longing for a call to adventure.

And, on that same fateful morning, two members of one of these many teams had congregated inside of a supplies shop in Maraud Town.

“What do you mean you’re out of Luminous Orbs?!” An Infernape growled to the shopkeeper, a Breloom who recoiled in response to the aggressive inquiry. “You know how much we need them, don’t you?”

“I-I’m sorry, Cass, you cleaned me out of them last time!” The Breloom stammered, not willing to get into any altercation. “I haven’t gotten a restock of them yet!”

“C’mon, you don’t have _any_?” Cass replied, in a frustrated attempt to barter. “Fynn, I swear I thought I saw more in here last week…”

Cass was an Infernape under the Soulstar Guild, a member of a team comprised of her and two other Pokémon. She was the brawn of the group, and, as such, flaunted her status with gusto: she tended to intimidate others with how challenging she could be at times. The bandages on her arms were only partially for show—covering real injuries, but additionally acting as personal trophies from tough brawls she had endured. It wasn’t unusual for Cass to act as rowdy as she was now in public, and she was always determined to have her way. It was immature, sure, but Fynnick, the Breloom behind the desk, had grown used to it. The two had been friends ever since Cass strolled on into Maraud Town looking for a challenge, and he was the only shopkeeper who took her attitude seriously then. Things had changed since then, but regardless, she appreciated his behavior.

“They’re j-just the other Orbs. A lot of them look pretty similar, don’t they?” replied Fynnick, tugging at his scarf nervously.

The Infernape rolled her eyes. “Look, do you know when you’ll have them in by?”

“Hopefully in a few days. Would you like me to reserve a few for you and Leonardo when they do come in?”

“Sure, whatever.” The Infernape decided. “Do you have anything else I can use?”

Fynn knelt down behind his desk and rummaged through his goods. “Let’s see… Evasion Orbs… Health Orbs… Sunny Orbs…”

“Ooh, Sunny Orbs? Gimme!”

The Breloom pulled out a pearl-sized amber orb and set it in front of the Infernape. “That’s 300 Poké.”

“200? Okay, got it–”, Cass began to barter once more, but one disgruntled look from the shopkeeper stopped her.

“Okay, fine,” she sighed, pulled out the right amount of money from a small orange sack, and set it on the desk. “D’you ever consider you’re charging too much for this crap?”

“Hey, Liza sets the prices, not me.” Fynnick said defensively. “I’m just respecting her guidelines.”

“You’re respectin’ a total con woman, is what you’re respectin’. 300 Poké is highway robbery.” Cass huffed before turning around.

“Oi, Leo, you see anything you want?”, she called behind her, rousing the attention of an Alakazam who was quietly gazing at the shelves of goods near the front of the store. Leo, short for Leonardo, was a good friend of Cass’s, and was considered the “brains” among his peers, though, unlike Cass, he didn’t find much enjoyment in flaunting it. The Psi Pokémon dressed more modestly than other Psychic-types, compared to their sometimes almost regal wardrobe: he sported a pair of silver-framed glasses and a blue-and-white scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. A brown waistband held a quiver with several silver spoons stuffed into it. He didn’t dress like the upmost royalty, reflecting a grounded disposition not seen in many of his type.

“That’s a solid maybe,” replied Leonardo, who was studying a bright yellow disc in his hand. “I’m trying to decide if I’d get any benefit from learning Shock Wave. What would you verdict?”

“Eh, we’ve got Vivien for that, don’t we?” The Infernape determined, now leaning on the desk impatiently. “And besides, TMs are pretty expensive…”

The Alakazam sighed, and replaced the Technical Machine on the shelf. “Point taken. Are you finished scaring Fynn over there?”

“Pretty much.” Cass smirked, side-eying the Breloom behind her, who chuckled nervously. She straightened up and, tossing the Sunny Orb up and down in her hand carelessly, began to stroll out of the shop. “Take care, Fynn.”

“Yeah, see ya, Fynnick,” Leonardo followed his friend to the exit.

“Later, you two,” sighed Fynnick, as the two customers went through the glass doors and out to Maraud Town Square.  

The Town Square was often the busiest part of the village: pretty much all of the shops and vendors in the town were located around the central, and customers flooded in from every direction to stock up on whatever they needed. Lampposts and benches littered the sides of the roads, and Pokémon shuffled up and down the aisles with varying intentions: be it to shop, converse with others, or just passing through to get to where they needed to. The northwest area of the square was an entrance to the Maraud Green, the town’s local park, a verdant sight to behold. And, of course, the center of it all held the large Soulstar Guild building, where Pokémon would crowd around and admire the establishment. Many revered the adventurers who would take on jobs to help others, but very few wanted to join their ranks: perhaps out of fear, or maybe lack of motivation.

“So, what’s our plan for the day, Le?” Cass yawned outside of Fynn’s shop: an eye-popping red logo reading “ADVENTURE HORIZON” stood modestly on the roof of the building. “You lookin’ to sign us and Vivi up for a mission this week?”

“Good question. It’s been a few days since we’ve taken up any jobs,” replied the Alakazam. As the two walked away from the shop, he pulled a silver spoon from his belt and begin to fiddle with it in his hand.

Cass raised an eyebrow at her companion. “I swear, you and your spoons…”

“Don’t change the subject,” Leonardo said simply, absentmindedly tossing the metallic tool in the air and catching it with the same hand.

The Infernape rolled her eyes. “I guess now’s a better time than ever. There’s probably something we could take up, eh?”

“And hopefully something better than an escort mission,” The Alakazam added, his expression reflecting his exasperation.

“Ugh, tell me about it.” Cass snorted, before moving on to another topic.

“So, where is Vivien, anyways? We need to decide as a team what we’re doing next, aren’t we?”

The Alakazam nodded. “Knowing her, she’s probably waiting for us at the guild. We can talk missions with her when we find her.”

“Good call. Let’s head in, then.”

 

* * *

The Lucario trudged down the concrete roads of the unfamiliar town, keeping his head low. The tails of his cerulean travel robes fluttered around his legs as he kept up a steady pace, hoping to avoid confrontation. The blue crystal charm around his neck bounced up and down as he walked past the crowds of other Pokémon. Maraud Town was surprisingly more occupied than he had prepared himself for, but if it meant that he wouldn’t stick out in a sea of other civilians, he couldn’t be bothered by it.

As the road began to widen into a larger path, it was becoming clear he was approaching his destination. He had stepped foot into Maraud Town Square, and no other place in town felt like more of a community than here. The shops and homes lining the square, the Pokémon interacting with whoever they wanted to as they walked down the paths, some heading down to the Maraud Green, perhaps for a picnic…

The Aura Pokémon stopped in his tracks, starting to consider what to do next. An entirely unfamiliar town meant he had no colleagues to stay with, so perhaps staying in a temporary lodging camp, at least for the night, would be optimal. Finances weren’t an issue in the short-term, but in the long-term? Perhaps he could go to the town’s guild, take some jobs in the meantime… but already the mention of a guild summoned a pang in his stomach. It still hurt to think about.

Out of the corner of his eye, the Lucario noticed a quaint little market, adjacent to the path he had taken into the square. Several smaller stands headed by different Pokémon made up this series of outlets, and Pokémon shopped around, examining the fresh-looking food on display. He withdrew a fist-sized black pouch from a pocket inside of his cloak, jingling with coins inside of it, and approached the marketplace.

A droopy-eyed Ursaring, leaning on a wooden counter with boredom, watched the Aura Pokémon grab an apple from a stand full of fresh fruit, silently setting it on the counter.

“10 Poké,” the bear Pokémon grunted, extending a paw to the Lucario, who rummaged through the small velvet sac, pulled out a copper coin, and placed it on the counter carefully. The Ursaring swiped at the coin and nodded.

Muttering a “thank you”, the Aura Pokémon picked up the fruit and wandered away from the stand, biting into the apple. It was the first time he had eaten anything since he had left for the unfamiliar town, and the presence of the inexplicable pit in his stomach felt somewhat lighter having done so. He strolled across the marketplace with no particular destination, gazing at the Pokémon passing by him.

At this point, he couldn’t toil over what decision to make: he had no shelter here in Maraud Town, no associates, yet this personal task seemed near impossible on his lonesome. His best bet in the long run was probably joining the Soulstar Guild; it seemed open and friendly enough, and it did offer lodgings for committed members of the organization, but, once again, he wasn’t entirely sure how comfortable he felt about the prospect of joining another guild, so soon after leaving the first. Difficult, recent memories were the only thing holding him back from deciding to do so, but that’s what they were—difficult. Difficult to overcome, or even think about for that matter.

“Hey, move it.”

The Lucario was pushed to the side with a certain restrained aggression by a faceless stranger, snapping back to reality in an instant: he was too lost in thought to realize he was standing in the path of other shoppers. The Aura Pokémon shuffled away, biting into the apple once more, in desperate need of some time to ponder.

* * *

Elsewhere in town, Cass lounged on a bench outside of the Soulstar Guild building, gazing at the townsfolk passing by with utter boredom. Leonardo had gone inside of the guild five minutes ago to check the job listings and search for Vivien, hoping she had wandered off inside. Was there a sudden meeting she was missing? Or perhaps Leo was being held up by the Guildmaster’s aide; considering her interrogative behavior, it wouldn’t be entirely out of the question. Either way, if he wasn’t out soon enough, Cass would have to storm in there and drag him out by the mustache…

Almost on cue, Cass turned to check the entrance—the fiftieth or so instance of her doing so in the last few minutes—and found the Alakazam tromping towards her, a hardened expression on his face.

“Lemme guess, no Vivien?” She humored the Psychic Pokémon.

“ _And_ no good jobs today, either.” Leonardo huffed, adjusting his glasses.

“Read every single one of them, they’re all just the same low-rank fare. You know, the ones that all sound like they’ve been written by the same sad sack?”

“What, you don’t wanna take up a mission entitled, ‘I Want To Get Berries In Gale Forest, But It’s Too Scary!! Help Me!!’?” Cass cackled, though Leo hardly even smirked.

“You can poke as much fun as you want to,” he rambled. “But I’m itching for a mission that’ll pique my interest for a change. All of the A-Class missions looked pretty rewarding, but we can’t take any of those yet ‘cuz of our rank…”

The Infernape nodded. “...yeah, well, we’re close enough to Gold Rank, aren’t we? Once we’re there, we can take some of those jobs.”

“Yeah, but we’re delegated to the basic schlock while you’re Silver Rank. And when you’re Silver, you get engaging, well-paying jobs on the regular board every once in a blue moon. I know we’ll get promoted while we’re taking those jobs, but still…”

“No point in sulkin’ about it, though,” Cass suggested, cutting off her friend’s exasperated ramble.

Leo sighed. “Yeah, sorry. I’m wallowing, aren’t I.“

“Nah, no worries,” said the Infernape. “Well, we shouldn’t make any executive decisions without our third member, wherever she is…”

“For all we know, Vivi could be frolicking in the Maraud Green right about now,” Leonardo concluded. “We’d effectively be playing a game of chance searching for her, it’s better to just wait for her to come to us.”

“I would agree, but we’ve still got an entire day of nothing ahead of us. Wouldn’t hurt to look around, right?” Cass threw out the suggestion.

Her friend simply shrugged in acquiescence. “Eh, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Let’s grab a bite to eat by noon, though, regardless of if we found her.”

“Can’t say no to that. Let’s get a move on, eh?”


End file.
